Christ-centeredness is the core identity of the Ateneo Hearter.

A LIFE of PRAYER and DISCERNMENT: He/she strives to keep close contact with God and seek God’s Will in one’s life, especially when one makes the more important decisions in one’s life.

A CLOSE FRIENDSHIP with CHRIST as LIVED OUT WITHIN the CHURCH and its SACRAMENTS: Because of his/her religious knowledge and experiences, one has made the choice of a fundamental orientation to Christ, regarding Him as one’s leader, model, guide, and friend. As a Catholic, he/she lives out this friendship with Christ within the life of the Church and through its sacraments.

Hence, he/she tries to “find God in all things” and does everything for the Greater Glory of God. AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM.

“Competence” refers to the Ateneo Hearter’s Functional Self, his/her knowledge and skills that enable one to perform diverse tasks and carry out various responsibilities.

An Ateneo Hearter who is competent should manifest the following:

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu seeks to prepare its students for the world, with knowledge and skills that will make them fit to succeed. The Ateneo Hearter is committed to the pursuit of academic excellence. By the time he/she completes one’s studies in Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu, he/she shall have acquired the habit of logical and critical thinking; a certain ease and facility in expression, both oral and written; a capacity to adapt and apply oneself to the task at hand, at the same time giving evidence of one’s knowledge and mastery of those subjects which shall prepare him/her for further studies. Through the Jesuit charism of “MAGIS“, he/she has certain allergy to mediocre work and has the spirit of generous striving to do and be MORE.

WELL-ROUNDEDNESS: Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu’s academic program recognizes that each person has multiple intelligences; hence, we try to develop-and build on-these intelligences as much as we can. As a truly well-rounded individual, the ideal Ateneo Hearter’s sensibilities go beyond merely academic concerns and include the following: an awareness and appreciation of music, literature, and the arts; a familiarity or even mastery of basic athletic skills through participation in sports and other athletic activities. All of these must lead to the formation of a total person whi is the product of a truly liberal, humanizing, and well-rounded education.

OPENNESS to GROWTH and LIFELONG LEARNING: The Ateneo Hearter matures in a way that reflects some personal responsibility for one’s own growth. He/she is beginning to further develop one’s full potentials, and is continuously seeking opportunities to develop one’s personality, sharpen one’s intellect, broaden one’s imagination, explore one’s feelings, refine one’s tastes, and deepen one’s own religious convictions and other sensibilities. He/she realizes that in life, what is important is “learning how to learn.”

“Conscience” refers to the Moral Self of the Ateneo Hearter. He/she should be endowed with the following:

MORAL REASONING: He/she is ruled by a well-educated conscience. He/she is familiar with the moral teachings of one’s faith and tries to understand them. He/she knows that moral reasoning is not simply a case of applying universal rules to particular situations. He/she understands that given the gray areas of life, moral reasoning requires careful discernment, but must begin with a desire and commitment to do what is good and right.

HABIT of REFLECTION: In a world of fast-paced living and excessive stimuli and information, he/she knows the value of reflection. He/she realizes that “experience is the best teacher” only if accompanied by the necessary reflection on experience. For this reason, he/she tries to nurture the habit of slowing down, pausing, and taking a step back to reflect about meaning and consequences.

“Character” refers to the Psycho-Emotional Self of the Ateneo Hearter. Equally important in one’s growth, after all, is one’s emotional intelligence (or EQ) and adversity quotient (AQ).

SELF-KNOWLEDGE and ACCEPTANCE: The Ateneo Hearter possesses a realistic knowledge and acceptance of oneself. He/she appreciates his/her God-given gifts and as a sign of gratitude, develops them to the fullest. At the same time, however, he/she is conscious of his/her weakness and shortcomings, and accepts these even as one tries to improve oneself in every way that he/she can.

SELF-MASTERY and DISCIPLINE: He/she possesses self-mastery and exercises self-discipline. He/she is learning to appreciate the value of order, harmony, and efficiency in life, and continually makes an effort to attain these in his/her own life. He/she tries to acquire a more mature sense of responsibility for one’s actions, lending support to external structures, as well as finding support in them.

SELF-TRANSCENDENCE: For one to be able to transcend oneself, a person must first accept oneself. At a certain point in one’s development, however, the Ateneo Hearter knows that he/she must learn how to manage his/her individual needs and emotions, maintaining a proper balance over and against the needs of others and the larger community.

“Community” refers to the Social Self of the Ateneo Hearter, his/her ability to be with people and to work with them.

ABILITY to WORK with OTHERS: In an increasingly interconnected world, the capacity to work with others becomes a most important art. The Ateneo Hearter is someone who can live with others comfortably and work with them effectively. He/she has developed one’s interpersonal skills to the degree that not only has he/she learned to be comfortable with people who may be different from him/her, but just as importantly, one is able to work with them in a peaceful and effective manner.

ABILITY to INFLUENCE and LEAD OTHERS for the GOOD: The Ateneo Hearter is trained to be a leader, skilled in managing group processes. Moreover, he/she uses skills to lead others to recognize and to do what is good and what is right.

ACCEPTANCE of and RESPECT for OTHERS: Ultimately, one’s desire to get along with others and one’s smooth interpersonal skills are rooted in a fundamental recognition of every human person’s dignity.

In this way, he/she is a true “Person with Others.”

“Compassion” refers to the Ateneo Hearter’s Societal Self – i.e., his/her orientation to service and one’s preferential option for the materially poor and marginalized. This C is to be distinguished from “Community” in the sense that “Community” refers to living and working well with others, while “Compassion” refers to the dimension of service, especially the service of the poor.

LIFE of SERVICE for OTHERS: As in all Jesuit schools, at Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu, excellence in education has a higher purpose – the service of others. Towards this end, the Ateneo Hearter is acquiring considerable knowledge and familiarity with the needs of the local as well as the larger Filipino community. He/she is preparing himself/herself for one’s own future participation as a competent, concerned, and responsible member of these communities. He/she understands that one’s personal well-being is interrelated with the well-being of other people.

PREFERENTIAL OPTION for the POOR: For the Christians, the expression “neighbor” includes in a special manner the poor and the needy. The Ateneo Hearter strives to be a neighbor especially to those most needy and most marginalized in imitation of Christ’s preferential option for the poor. He/she also tries to live a life of SIMPLICITY to be in solidarity with the poor.

FAITH THAT DOES JUSTICE: Most of all, the Ateneo Hearter understands that his/her faith can be complete only if one works for justice – i.e., when one recognizes unjust structures and works towards eliminating them. While he/she recognizes that charity (“helping the poor”) is good, one also knows that something more is demanded of him/her: justice which is more than simply “giving to the poor,” but working-and at times, even fighting-to improve their lot.

In a sense, the mission of the Ateneo Hearter is “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” In this manner, he/she tries to live as a “Person for Others.”

By “Culture,” we mean the Ateneo Hearter’s Historical Self, his/her identity as shaped by one’s roots and one’s present culture. Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu has a special mission to the Chinese Filipinos because it is a Chinese-Filipino school founded by Jesuit missionaries for the education and evangelization of the Chinese-Filipino community.

ROOTEDNESS in the CHINESE-FILIPINO CULTURE: it is hoped that the Ateneo Hearter will have a growing appreciation of his/her Chinese-Filipino culture, with a working knowledge of Chinese history and some facility in the language. He/she eventually acquires a better understanding and a deeper appreciation of one’s own culture heritage.

ROOTEDNESS in VISAYAN and FILIPINO HERITAGE: The Ateneo Hearter cherishes the richness of the Visayan and Filipino cultural identity. He/she celebrates and enriches the country’s cultural heritage and takes pride in being a Filipino.

ACCEPTANCE of the DIVERSITY of CULTURES in the WORLD: As a person living in an increasingly global world, he/she is becoming more conscious of one’s own unique cultural identity, and is growing more deeply aware of all the values, the customs and traditions that govern and influence one’s personal life. He/she is at home with the diversity of cultures in the world. In this age of globalization, he/she is nevertheless able to retain his/her Asian soul.

Hence, true to the spirit of the “Incarnation,” he/she believes that Christ is already present in every culture and seeks to uncover and proclaim His presence.

The Jesuit motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) is a Latin term meaning “for the greater glory of God.” St. Ignatius of Loyola used the phrase many times in the Constitution of the Society of Jesus. However, not only Jesuits are called to live out this motto. All Ateneo Hearters are called to live out this motto in our daily lives.

To live for the greater glory of God is to know Jesus more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow him more nearly. It is to seek God in all things, in all people and in all experiences. It is to devote all of our thoughts, words, efforts, choices and actions into what we discern gives God greater glory. Since we know that Jesus called us to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, to live AMDG is also to offer our lives in service to others especially those who need the most help. Thus, AMDG covers all aspects of an Ateneo Hearter’s life – in academics, in sports, in arts, in relationships with others, in service, and more importantly, in faith – even after graduation.

Magis is a Latin term meaning “more” or “better.” In seeking to live for the greater glory of God, all Ateneo Hearters are also called to live our the Magis. This means, we are called to do more and be more for Christ. In our daily tasks, we always push for what we can do better; we are not contented with mediocrity. We seek excellence not to reap rewards but to live for God’s greater glory. We serve others as best as we can, not to be noticed but to show our love for God’s people. We do not compare ourselves with others; rather, we look to Christ our model. With our gazes fixed on Christ, with St. Ignatius we pray for the grace to be generous: to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and ask not for reward. We seek only God’s will in everything. This is what Magis means for us.

Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu’s motto is Lux Oriens. Lux Oriens is the Latin term meaning “Light Arising in the Land of the Morning.” “Land of the Morning” refers to the Philippines from the English translation of our country’s National Anthem. To be an Ateneo Hearter is to root ourselves in love and respect for our country, its traditions and history. We understand that what we do and how we live affects not just our family, school and community but our nation and eventually the world. As Ateneo Hearters, we value not just our country’s history but also the special tradition and mission of our school in being a Chinese-Filipino School.

As Ateneo Hearters, recognize that Jesus is the true light of the world and that as His followers, we seek to share His light concretely to others – in acts of excellence, leadership and service. We share our God-given talents to give greater glory to God. We lead others not for the pursuit of honor or riches but to help build God’s Kingdom. We serve others so that we can share God’s mercy to them. The light we bring to others is not our own but it is the light of Christ.

Thus, Lux Oriens reminds all Ateneo Hearters of our history, our identity, our mission, our goal and our inspiration.